Alexander jones



(No Model!) A. JONES. G. COLLINS & H. A COHEN.

Automatic Valve Operator for Tanks., No. 240,425. Patented April 19,1881,-

WITNESSES: INVBNTOR: 6% W ATTORNEYS.

NJETERS. FNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHXNGTON, D O.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FEICE.

ALEXANDER JONES, cEAELEs ooLLINs, AND HARTWIG A. (MEN, OF

NEW 360111;, N. .Y.

AUTOMATIC VALVE-OPERATOR FOR TANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent, No. 240,425, dated April 19, 1881.

Application filed January 4, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALEXANDER JoNEs,

. GHARLEs GoLLiNs, and HARTWIG A. COHEN,

of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Valve-Operator for Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a device for preventing the waste of liquids caused by the overflowing of tanks on account of the carelessness of the attendants or the inefficiency of the devices for indicating the exact quantity of liquid in the tank.

The invention consists of a vessel or ball suspended from one end of a counterbalanced pivoted lever and connected at the bottom with the overflow-pipe of the tank, which pipe is provided with a valve at each side of its connection with the ball, these valves being so arranged that the overflowwater passes into the ball and causes the same to descend, thereby shutting off the supply to the tank by means of a rod connected with the lever of the ball; but as soon as the pump stops the water flows from ball and the latter rises, thereby starting the pump again, all these operations taking place in a manner that will be more distinctly set forth hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing a longitudinal sectional elevation of our improved tank valve attachment is shown.

A hollow ball, A, or other closed vessel, is provided with small rollers B on the sides, which rollers rest upon the forked end of a lever,O, provided with an adjustable counterwveight, D, and pivoted in a hanger, E, suspended from the ceiling or some other suitable object. The bottom of the ball or vessel. A is connected with the horizontal part of the overflow-pipe F of the tank H by a short piece of pipe, G. The overflow-pipe F is provided with valves J K in front and behind the pipe Gr, connecting the ball A with the overflow-pipe F, and thelower ends ofthe rods of these valves are pivoted to a lever, L, which is pivoted to an arm, M, projecting downward from the pipe F directly below the pipe G, and to the lower end of an elongation, N, of the hanger E. The valve J is situated farther from the pipe G than the valve K is, for the purpose of com- (No model.)

pensating for the difference in the leverage. The overflow-pipe F springs a considerabledistanceabout twenty to thirty feetfrom the ball A. The ball is provided with a valve, 0, through which the air can pass in and out of the ball. The continuation P of the overflowpipe F beyond the valve Kis preferably of less diameter than the pipe F, so as to prevent the ball from being emptied too rapidly; but the valve K can be so adjusted as to make the action of the device either slow or fast, which can-and ought to be adjusted according to the general use of water and liquids.

By means of a rod, it, the lever O is connected with the valve of a steam-pump, a water-Wheel, or any other motor that operates the pump.

The operation is as follows: The weight D F t5 carry off the water before it can flow over the edge of the tank. The water flowing through the pipe F meets a resistance at the valve K, as this 'valve is closed, and consequently the water will rise into the ball or vessel A and gradually till the same; but as the ball A fills with water it descends, opens the valve K, and closes the valve J, thus permitting the water in the ball to flow off through the pipe P, and at the same time it stops the pump, which begins to move slowly as soon as the ball A begins to descend. As soon as all the water has flown out of the ball A the same rises, closes the valve K, and opens the valve J, and starts the engine. If no water has been drawn from the tank, the water that is pumped into the tank H will immediately cause water to flow down the overflow-pipe F, the ball will descend, and the pumps will stop; but if water has been drawn from the tank the pump will operate until the tank has again been filled up to the top of the overflow-pipe, when the above operation takes place. As it is of greater importance to stop the pump very rapidly than to start it rapidly, the pipe P is of smaller diameter than the pipe F, thereby causing the ball A to be emptied more slowly than it is filled.

As the lever formed by the pipe F is much longer than the lever L, and as they are connected by the arm M, it follows that the plug of the valve K will descend a greater distance than the valve-seat when the ballA descends that is to say, the valve is opened-and when the ball rises the plug of the valve will be moved upward a greater distance than the seat of the vaive-thatis to say, the valve is closed and the valve J acts accordingly, butinversely. The difference of the length of the distance traversed by the valve'seat and the plug is equal to the difference in length of the chords of arcs formed with the lever L and the horizontal springing part of the pipe F as radii, the chords of the arc of theleverL being thelongest.

The ball A may act upon valves that are arranged in a different manner without affecting the principle of our invention. However, the valves described are preferred.

The device has been described in connection with a water-tank, but may be used with any kind of liquid-tank.

Having thus described our invention, we

claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent- 1. In automatic valve operators for tanks, the combination, with the tank and balanced pivoted lever, of a closed vessel connected with the overflow-pipe of tank and mounted on said lever, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with a closed vessel mounted on a balanced lever, of an overflowpipe, F, extending from a tank and having the valves J K arranged substantially as described.

3. In an automatic valve-regulator for tanks, the combination, with the ball A and balanced lever O, of the overflow-pipe F, the valves J K, and the lever L, substantially as herein 

